Ask your employer to set up a European Works Council
Overview
The Brexit transition period has ended and new rules on participating in a European Works Council now apply. This page is currently out of date.
You can ask your employer to set up a European Works Council (EWC) if you work for a company with offices across the European Economic Area (EEA).
An EWC is a forum where your company can:
- tell you about plans and decisions at the same time as employees in other countries - this is known as being informed
- exchange views with you in the same way as employees in other countries - this is known as being consulted
An EWC only informs and consults on issues that affect more than one country where the business operates.
Who can ask for a European Works Council
You can ask your employer to set up an EWC if they have:
- at least 1,000 employees in the EEA
- 150 employees in each of at least 2 countries in the EEA
You can write to your employer to find out information, for example how many employees it has or where it operates, to help you make your request.
Your employer can also set up an EWC without waiting for a request.
After you’ve made your request
Your employer will set up a special negotiating body (SNB) to negotiate an EWC agreement with central management of the business.
You can complain about the way an EWC has been set up or run.